888 and William Hill pull out of France

A couple of months ago the French goverment announced their long awaited online gambling laws were soon to come into effect.

This means licenses will soon be handed out to operators that regulators deem worthy which makes for a kind of interesting time. Interesting because operators who do decide to participate in the licensing process must be on their best behaviour and adhere to follow the letter of the law until such time as their license is granted. This of course means closing the door on French players for the time being at least.

Two casinos that have already declared their hands in this regard are 888 and William Hill.

888 have advised all affiliates that they are definately seeking a French Internet gambling license and until such time as one is granted, will not be accepting players from there.

William Hill are playing their cards a little closer to their chests and haven’t publicly announced intent to seek a license. They have however notified affiliates that they will no longer be accepting French customers. Reading between the lines on this move, it’s likely they are at least considering throwing their hat in the ring also. Otherwise why else would they close the door on a large market like France?

Of course for operators who don’t intend getting a French license, it’s business as usual and French players are welcome. This is the irony of the process – to get in, you’ve got to close the door first. If you choose to stay on the outer (which certainly has it’s advantages) you keep the door wide open to French gamblers.

Confusing isn’t it?

The simple way to look at it if you’re a French player looking for live casino options is this…right now you can’t play at either 888 or William Hill.

Our updated list of the best live casino options for French players is set out here.